masterchef

Gordon Ramsay may have the reputation in America of being this hard-nosed drill sergeant who tears down contestants on game shows, but judge Joe Bastianich is certainly giving him a run for his money on 'MasterChef' (Tue., 9PM ET on FOX). That said, though, we can't blame it for losing his cool at a contestant this week.

!!SPOILER ALERT!!

In the elimination challenge, Adrien Nieto once again presented a dish that looked like it had been plated by a child bringing a dinner-in-bed to Mommy on her birthday. With the side dishes in bowls, the presentation was cluttered and unappealing and not even close to how it was supposed to look.

Graham Elliot is a world renowned chef and judge on Fox's 'MasterChef' who'll be guest blogging for AOL TV from time to time this season. Here are his thoughts on this week's episode ...

Alrighty then, we are now down to the lucky 13! Hard to believe that we've already lost five great home cooks along the way. I love the Mystery Box challenges, and this one in particular was exciting as it was our first vegetarian challenge in 'MasterChef.' I love meat cooking with proteins as much as the next big, tattooed guy, but as a chef and restaurant owner, I want to make sure the cooks are proficient in vegetable cookery as well.

That said, it was a great challenge for our aspiring chefs, and it was obvious from the start that some of the cooks were a little lost without a big piece of fish or meat. Christian's forte is fish, and I'm guessing that since Jennie is from Texas, she was probably hoping for a steak.

Last night, Tracy and Esther were sitting pretty as winners on 'MasterChef' (Tue., 8PM ET on FOX), but winner quickly turned into team leader as the contestants stumbled upon a beach-side challenge.

As team captains, Tracy and Esther were tasked with choosing their teams for the challenge of making sausage sandwiches for a group of 100 bikers.

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When mealtime came, Tracy's Blue Team was serving up their sandwiches, while Esther's Red Team wasn't ready yet. By the time the challenge was over, the Blue Team had cemented their victory and the Red Team was facing another Pressure Test.

Graham Elliot is a world renowned chef and judge on Fox's 'MasterChef' who'll be guest blogging for AOL TV from time to time this season. Here are his thoughts on this week's episode ...

Alright let's get started! The Mystery Box is totally what got my blood going on this episode.

I was shocked to see Derrick had taken this beautiful rack of lamb and decided to grind it up, which he himself said was akin to crashing a Bentley. It's one thing to be a big fan of the meat grinder but c'mon, we're talking about rack of lamb! I have to admit after seeing that, I was really nervous that things were gonna be tough for him.

In the end I gotta say that it was Alejandra and Tracy that impressed me the most. Alejandra has this incredible ability to keep her food light while infusing tremendous flavor. Tracy is showing she has some serious chops and her side was one of the best vegetarian dishes I've ever tasted, and her lamb was beautifully done as well.

With the Top 16 determined, the stakes were bigger than ever on this week's 'MasterChef' (Tue., 9PM ET on FOX). And so was the number of people the contestants had to cook for. Split into two teams, they were tasked with preparing a five-course meal for 350 people at a Los Angeles cafeteria.

!!SPOILER ALERT!!

The losing team in this challenge would face off in a pressure test that would see one of them going home. To make things even more dramatic, the teams were tied going into the dessert round, where the Red Team beat the Blue Team with a fresh fruit dish.

It was a topsy-turvy night for one contestant on 'MasterChef' (Mon., 9PM ET on FOX) as the Top 18 contestants settled into the competition. With two cooking challenges, one chef found his or her dishes sitting toward the top of the heap, only later to have the second dish quite literally flung around the plate in disgust.

!!SPOILER ALERT!!

The mystery box challenge opened the night, and only three dishes would be tasted by the judges, based on their appearance.

Jennie, Suzy and Cristian were selected, and all three got mostly rave reviews from the judges. Cristian won the challenge, and immunity for the week, but it should have spelled smooth sailing for the other two as well tonight, right?

The blood of superstar chefs-in-training started flowing fast during the latest 'MasterChef' (Tue., 8PM ET on FOX) challenge.

As judges Gordon Ramsay and Joe Bastianich considered their own cuts, the contestants were put through a grueling test of basic kitchen skills that proved to be harder, and more dangerous, than it first looked.

You have to be a pretty nerdy foodie for superchef Gordon Ramsay to call you "the ultimate food geek!"

On 'MasterChef,' (Mon., 9PM ET on FOX) excitable contestant Ben Starr proved that he was one of the world's biggest food geeks as he wowed the judges with his tasty, pumpkin-flavored concoctions and his pumpkin-inspired chef's get-up.

Gordon Ramsay fans will be delighted to know that soon they'll be getting back-to-back doses of the potty-mouthed British chef, Monday nights on Fox. And antiques fans can set a date with the Keno twins for the launch of their new show.

Following disappointing ratings for the Season 2 premiere of 'MasterChef' earlier this week, Fox execs have tweaked the summer schedule to give the cooking show a boost. It will now air before ratings powerhouse 'Hell's Kitchen,' which returns for its ninth season in July.

According to Deadline.com, Fox had originally planned to air 'MasterChef' Mondays and Tuesdays at 8PM ET, an hour earlier than last summer. But, after ratings plummeted a whopping 33 percent on Monday, and went up only 10 percent the following night, Fox is moving the series to the 9PM ET slot, which is where it aired last year behind 'Hell's Kitchen.'

The move on Monday will be made right away, with a 'MasterChef' rerun airing Monday June 13 at 8PM ET, leading into a new episode at 9PM ET. Come July, Fox hopes that 'Hell's Kitchen' viewers will stay with the network for a second helping of Ramsay.

Gordon Ramsay got a little selfish on the second episode of 'MasterChef' (Tue., 8PM ET on FOX) this week. Even after Dustin insulted him by saying he was English.

"I'm f****** Scottish!" Ramsay shouted. But at the same time, Dustin was presenting sausage rolls, and Ramsay does love sausage rolls.

The other judges found out just how much Ramsay loved Dustin's sausage roll when he simply continued cutting into it. "Oh Chef, how about some for the rest of us?" Joe Bastianich asked, but to no avail.

"That was f****** delicious," Ramsay said, making the official vote later. Of course, Dustin is moving on in the competition.

Gordon Ramsay returned for a second round of 'MasterChef' (Mon., 8PM ET on FOX) in the first of a two-night premiere. Tonight, the chefs are fighting for a chance to even compete on the show, so think of it like the early rounds of 'American Idol.'

That may be why judge Joe Bastianich thought Albert's presentation was a joke at first. Certainly, the self-proclaimed redneck was a colorful enough character, with his camouflage shirt, wild hair and missing front tooth.

Add to that his colorful tattoos and offer to show one on his butt to Ramsay and you've got a guy tailor-made for entertainment. Even more surprising, Ramsay responded, "Yes, please." He did qualify it, though. "Not too close. Just from a distance."

MTV takes a risk with this luscious HD reboot of 'Teen Wolf' -- yes, the Michael J. Fox comedy from the 80s that's provided hours of parody scenes ever since. But this new version is anything but a joke -- it's dead serious, and looks to attract the pro-Jacob faction of Twi-hards. Previews and teaser reveal great cinematography, with much of the show shot after sunset. If the writing can match the mood, this could be a hit.

It's no secret that the networks pad their summer schedules with cheap-to-produce reality fare. And we're fine with that -- who wants to spend the summer indoors glued to the TV waiting for the next suspenseful episode of 'The Good Wife,' anyway? Instead we can come back from the pool/beach/watering hole of your choice and turn on some fun, mindless reality competition series.

One problem -- with a wealth of shows to choose from, how do we decide which ones to add to the DVR queue? From wannabe dance divas to house-bound roommates, here's a guide to the reality competition series vying for your viewership during the summer months. Which ones will you watch?

Now that our clocks have jumped forward an hour, Fox is gearing up for warmer weather by announcing premiere dates for three of its summer reality staples.
'So You Think You Can Dance' will bow first, with its eighth season debuting on Thursday, May 26, and continuing on Wednesday, June 1, before settling into its permanent time slot the following day. The dancing competition will be paired with repeats of Fox's musical hit, 'Glee' (how appropriate).

Tuesdays will house a one-two punch of cooking competition, with last August's amateur chef competition 'Masterchef' premiering Mon., June 6 and running in its permanent Tuesday at 8PM time slot starting June 7. On July 19, Gordon Ramsay's other cooking-related reality series, 'Hell's Kitchen,' will debut its ninth season at 9PM.

The first American winner of 'Masterchef' nearly lost it all thanks to a chicken catastrophe.

In the season finale, head judge Gordon Ramsay chose Whitney Miller, a 22-year-old college student, over software engineer David Miller for the $250,000 prize and cookbook publishing deal.

Both the Millers (unrelated) beat out Sheetal Bhagat and Lee Knaz to reach the final head-to-head competition. There, Whitney Miller almost threw everything away when the fried chicken she'd just cooked slipped off her spatula onto the floor. Ramsay looked horrified, but Whitney managed to re-cook her chicken in just seven minutes.